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Well, that was a bit better - but only in the sense that getting a filling is preferable to root canal work. Ongoing TV car-crash The Nightly Show (ITV) began its third week with a new host in Davina McCall. Would this be an opportunity to fix the flop programme’s myriad problems? Sadly for all of us, not really.

Meanwhile, McCall made copious references to her colourful clubbing past. It all felt more “Friday night on Channel 4” than “Monday on ITV” but at least demonstrated some chutzpah - especially following in the faltering footsteps of previous hosts David Walliams and John Bishop.

Accustomed to telling Big Brother housemates “Please do not swear”, McCall clearly relished the freedom of a late night slot, greeting us with: “It’s 10pm, so I’m going to say f**k and b*****ks as much as I like.” A string of vibrator-based innuendoes immediately afterwards increased the hen night atmosphere.

A decade ago, McCall hosted a disastrous chatshow, the imaginatively titled Davina, on the BBC. It was axed after just eight episodes, so all eyes were on her interaction with her sofa guests.

It helped that she had a likeable pair in pop-and-millinery giant Boy George and Brit actress Vicky McClure. While their interviews felt rushed, subdued and stilted at times, they at least lacked the awkwardness of Walliams and Bishop’s stints. After all, McCall is a presenter rather than a comedian. What she lacked in wit, she gained in slick professionalism.

She goaded Boy George, recent alumnus of the Celebrity Apprentice, to slag off Donald Trump but the normally waspish Culture Club crooner didn’t oblige. Instead, the main talking points were McClure’s love of Greggs pasties and the fact that both guests would hate to be stuck in a lift with professional troll Katie Hopkins. At last, something everyone could agree on.

It all felt a little cliquey at times, with the celebrities referring to previous times they’d met and even dining at each other’s houses, but at least had warmth and voyeuristic value. Fluffed links were left in, presumably a McCall’s behest to provide a live feel, even though the show was recorded earlier this evening.

The segments that didn’t work were when the hostess was hauled out of her comfort zone and tried too hard to be funny. Every gag seemed to be about sex or a viral clip of a cute dog. A hidden camera stunt went on too long and had the strong whiff of a set-up. A nonsensical competition ended with a geeky teenager winning two tickets to Ibiza and saying he wanted to lose his virginity there. The Nineties ladette era seemed to have staggered back onto our screens, spilling Hooch and wearing Spice Girls platforms.

With each passing episode, it becomes more mystifying why ITV have bumped back the News At Ten to make way for this mediocre effort. It’s surely time for the commercial channel to swallow its pride and restore Tom Bradby’s bulletin to its usual slot, while giving The Nightly Show a full-time host and time to finds its feet in a later slot or on ITV2.

Overall, McCall made a decent stab at steering this clapped-out vehicle. Any problems were with the format and not her. Now pass the Hooch, I need to drown my sorrows.